Qualitative analysis of impact of congenital hand differences on children visiting a tertiary care hospital

Congenital hand differences (CHD), being a visible deficiency, has immense negative influence on the physical, psychological and social wellbeing of a child. Purpose: The children and their mothers were given an opportunity to express their perspectives about the disability and its impact on the daily life of the child. Method: OLOGY: 12 children (6-15 years) and their mothers were enrolled between January to June 2017. In-depth interviews were conducted to know the experiences and perspectives of children with congenital hand differences and their mothers. Transcribed verbatim of interviews were analyzed by manual coding followed by thematic analysis. Results: Children expressed that they performed most of their daily activities with partial or minimal involvement of their parents. They exercised a certain degree of independence in meeting their self-care needs by adapting to the disability and reported that they were cared and supported by family members. Although these children encountered stigma from society, they were able to cope with the situation by accepting their disability with positive support from their parents. Majority of mothers and children reported that the surgical intervention has improved the physical functioning of hand. All the participants reported that they did not depend on any orthosis for daily activities. The orthosis provided were only to retain the correction of their deformities and was used mostly as a night splint. Conclusion: Children with congenital hand differences were capable of independent living and showed positive coping towards the societal stigma. Surgical treatment has improved the function and confidence of their children as stated by their mothers.